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If you had read more than the first sentence and then skipped to the score, you would have seen that I had gone on to say that the story failed to hold my interest and that I wished death upon the protagonist.

I would elaborate on how comics are more than just the story being told and can be enjoyed on more than just that simplistic level, but it would take too much time to type out on my phone and you are boring. Personal attacks. :rolleyes:

You must love jeph loeb books then because they have awesome art, but terrible story.

I won't say a book is good unless the story is. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy the book.

John Snow wrote:At what point did I say I didn't enjoy the book? It was okay. You can easily reference the fact that I thought it was okay by looking at my overall score, which was a 7. I'm not posting in riddles!

I was just trying to poke fun at the review a bit, it was like the reverse punchy. I'm sorry it created so much drama.

I am glad I caved to picking this book instead of going Juding the group with The Infinite. This book was a gorgeous slow burn of a book. Was it scary? No but it was atmospheric and just something special. I really loved this book and look forward to the next stages of this story. Really the scariest thing about this book is when is the Scott Snyder backlas going to start? Certainly not with his batman work, not with his creator owned work? So then what? Will he jump ship to marvel and that's the moment he will probably be done.

Great book 9

doombug wrote:You really are the george carlin of the outhouse. that's fucking hilarious.

doombug wrote:and yeah, Yoni called it.

I feel like a condemned building with a brand new flag pole.- Les Paul

This was an ok start to what I hope is a much scarier story. Snyder attempts to do everything he talks about in the back of the issue: slow build, primal fear, forboding atmosphere, etc., but for some reason it fails to all come together for me. The art is solid and the premise has potential, but in the end for me it felt like the horror equivalent of a side-show fun house: distorted reflections and cheap thrills. I've enjoyed his Detective Comics so I don't doubt the stakes will rise, but I'm probably not enough of a Snyder convert to be open my mind to the creepiness that's supposed to be in this issue.

guitarsmashley wrote:I am glad I caved to picking this book instead of going Juding the group with The Infinite. This book was a gorgeous slow burn of a book. Was it scary? No but it was atmospheric and just something special. I really loved this book and look forward to the next stages of this story. Really the scariest thing about this book is when is the Scott Snyder backlas going to start? Certainly not with his batman work, not with his creator owned work? So then what? Will he jump ship to marvel and that's the moment he will probably be done.

Without a doubt one of the most interesting periods of American History has to be 36 year period between the “Battle at Wounded Knee” in 1890 and the formation the “US Numbered Highway System in 1926.The main reason why this era was such a compelling one has to do with the popular perception versus the actual reality of living in this time. Taking into consideration how American History is taught in the general school system, along with the end of the American Indian War, the 1890 Census showing us that the clear line of advancing settlement had ended and the Federal Government moving towards exercising over the region, the case for the American Frontier ending in this decade is a strong one.

However, when one takes a further look into how life was lived during this period, the question of whether the American Frontier ended at the widely accepted timeframe comes into play. For starters, while the west was deemed settled, there would be livable territory that would not be utilized until an overall cheaper method of transportation would be available in the car, making the Highway System so vital to this country’s development. More importantly, while there was a national communication system, it was nowhere near as advanced as the one we have today, making identification beyond a small region of land that much harder. In turn such circumstances made it possible to manufacture a new life with just relocation to another area in the country. It was those two notions that made Severed #1 such a highly anticipated comic for me. With such a strong concept, the question of whether the creative team could deliver on the promise remained to be answered.

Writing/Story:

Being set in a period where the United States (and the world at large) feels much larger than what we are accustomed to, any story told in this period that uses the atmosphere correctly has a great chance of enhancing the story told, something that is most definitely the case here. True to form, Scott Snyder (being joined by Scott Tuft) is able to make the story engaging by using the setting to establish engaging (if not fully 3 dimensional) characters in this first issue. Seeing what the two main characters aspired for in life was a nice touch that helped to center the story.

The time period also helps to enhance the story experience, as the feeling of isolation (geographical and otherwise) helps to add a sense of danger to both storylines. Unlike in our time, the world is still quite disconnected, making it an excellent breeding ground for myths and fearsome horrors, something that’s used to ramp up the suspense of the story at large. With that being said, my one concern writing wise is that the horror story will take precedence over the meaty social movement theme that drew me to this book. While another good horror story would still be a plus, I just think I would enjoy this better if the adventure to find one’s self in this time gets equal billing.

Art:

Make no mistake, this aspect is going to play a huge role in deciding whether this book succeeds or not, and thankfully the art team comes through. Being led by Attila Futaki, the art in “Severed” definitely lends itself very well to the story. The contrast of colors between starting scene in the 1950’s and the subsequent scenes in 1916 give us an excellent contrast of the shape of the world. The coloring of the 1950’s scene plays off the era as a more vibrant and optimistic time (Elvis’ interjection into the scene plays into the cultural dynamics going on at the time) that America is enjoying in its earliest days as a Superpower. In contrast, 1916’s coloring uses a dimmer shade that gives off the energy of a world that’s divided between the hope that the undefined American Dream gave and the Shadows of War that loom across both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Thanks to this attention to detail, the overall work benefits.

My Final 22 Cents:

If I had to compare titles, I would definitely “Severed” is a lot like “The Red Wing” in that both titles have a very interesting concept/setting. However, unlike The Red Wing’s first issue, “Severed’s” was able to do enough with its protagonists to make me want to follow the story more, proving that a great concept always works better with good storytelling fundamentals. Overall “Severed” #1 provides quite the engaging story that I can’t wait to see which direction it takes. Even if the creative team falls through with my principal hope, it’s quite likely the story will prove to be one that’s easily recommended to anyone looking for more Scott Snyder work, or just a good horror story.

SilverPhoenix, interesting comparison between Severed and Red Wing. I agree that, while both are obviously genre-driven stories, what distinguish the two is that Severed has vivid, three-dimensional characters while Red Wing has cardboard cutouts.